Brogan's 2nd-in-command will take over as interim chancellor

The board overseeing the state university system didn't look far to find a temporary replacement for chancellor Frank Brogan, who will step down at end of the month.

Jan Ignash, Brogan's second-in-command, has been tapped for the interim chancellor position. The Board of Governors will be asked to approve promoting Ignash, the vice chancellor and chief academic officer, at its Sept. 12 meeting.

“We are fortunate to have a seasoned academic leader on our team to fill in as interim chancellor while we conduct a national search," board chairman Dean Colson said via a press release announcing his recommendation.

Ignash moved to Florida about 18 months ago. Before that, she was deputy director and chief academic officer of Washington state's Higher Education Coordinating Board. That state's lawmakers dissolved the board in 2012 and transitioned its duties to a new office. She has three decades of experience in education and is a former tenured professor at the University of South Florida.

As interim chancellor, she will oversee the state's 12 public universities, while retaining her role as chief academic officer. Ignash said she will not apply for the permanent job but will work hard to keep the university system running smoothly until the national search concludes.

"At some point in the future, we will welcome a new chancellor, having ensured forward progress on our top priorities while further strengthening the ties that bind us together as a system," she said in the press release.

Colson plans to announce a search committee after next week's meeting. At the board's November meeting, it will discuss a timeline that could extend past the 2014 gubernatorial election.